Amid the ongoing H-1B visa debate, supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump have criticized the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, arguing that it limits job opportunities for newly graduated American students.
The OPT program allows international students in the US to work temporarily after graduation and serves as a pathway to obtaining an H-1B visa. However, it has become a contentious issue in discussions about foreign workers’ impact on American jobs.
“The OPT programme is a guest worker scheme disguised as an internship for foreign students. Universities are selling work permits instead of education. Created illegally like DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Trump should end OPT to protect American college grads from unfair competition,” the US Tech Workers group wrote on X.
Trump’s supporters have consistently criticized immigration policies, with hardline advocates questioning the H-1B visa program. They argue that these visas jeopardize job opportunities for American workers.
The immigration debate re-surfaced when far-right activists took issue with Trump’s choice of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American venture capitalist, as an adviser on artificial intelligence. Critics worry that Krishnan’s influence could impact the Trump administration’s stance on immigration policies.
Joining the debate, Tesla boss Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will run the US Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE along with Musk, said that the United States produces very few highly skilled graduates. They supported the H-1B visa programme. Musk himself has migrated from South Africa. Earlier in a post on X, Musk sought high-skilled engineering talent from abroad, saying it was “essential for America to keep winning.”
His tweet targeted immigration hard-liners who have repeatedly opposed the discontinuation of the H-1B visa program, through which skilled immigrants and foreign workers are brought into the country on work visas.
Meanwhile, Trump has supported Musk over the H-1B visa debate. “I have many H-1Bs on my properties. I have been a believer in H-1B visas,” he told the New York Post.
Amid H-1B Visa Debate, US Tech Workers Seek to End Work Permits for Foreign Students world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World Breaking Headlines Today
